Neptune’s Geffen celebrates decade at the helm

By: James Norris | 12 Jan 2012

Neptune’s Global Equity Fund is celebrating its 10th anniversary, with Robin Geffen as manager since inception.

The fund is considered the purest fund to exploit Neptune’s global sector driven research process, Neptune says in a statement. “It is a concentrated and high-conviction portfolio invested in Neptune’s favourite stock ideas from across the world.”

Neptune says the fund has returned 157% to investors since inception (as of 30 December 2011), which compares favourably with the 41% of the MSCI World Index and the 50% of IMA Global Sector Average.

Launched in December 2001, the Neptune Global Equity Fund has charted its own course, regardless of short-term market shifts, in the belief that the fundamentals of quality, sector-leading companies will win through. The fund, one of the largest in the Neptune range, has maintained overweight positions in industrials and information technology, with significant geographical exposure to the US and China.

Markets face a difficult year ahead, but Geffen is positive. He says: “The scene is set for a year of good, broad-based equity returns provided that the Euro area leaders push ahead with a joint fiscal arrangement with real ECB support and avoid a fully-fledged banking crisis. In this scenario the US is not vulnerable to fall into a recession and the emerging market economies can look after themselves so long as the advanced world is not in a state of acute financial crisis.

“The current global environment presents opportunities to invest strategically across global sectors, focusing on companies that are exposed to structural growth, with strong market positions and with the balance sheet strength to finance the opportunities facing them.”

The fund has delivered top quartile performance in its peer group during both bull and bear markets in eight out of the past ten discrete years, ranking it 4th out of 102 funds since launch.